Do your realize your tongue has affected every person you’ve come into contact with today?

Although the tongue is a small part of our body, it wields tremendous power because of the words it speaks. We can use our tongue for good, such as praising God and encouraging other people. We can also use it for evil, such as cursing, gossiping, and being sarcastic. Out of the same mouth comes both praises and curses (James 3:1-12).

The reason we do this is because “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). If our heart is full of gratitude and love, our words will be uplifting and positive. If our hearts are hard and full of evil, then complaining, curses and sarcasm will come out of our mouths. Think about the words you have spoken today. What do they reveal about your heart?

While we know how destructive some of our words can be, one area of conversation that we often overlook is sarcasm and making crude jokes. This is due to the fact we usually don’t have any evil intent behind these comments. Sarcasm and crude joking are often tools we use to lighten the mood when we don’t know what to say but they can still be very hurtful to others. While it certainly is proper to joke and kid with one another, it is not proper to be sarcastic or make crude jokes about serious life issues, such as illness, faith issues and family heritage. Not only are these comments hurtful to others, God takes them very serious (Ephesians 5:4-5) and we will have to give an account for every word we’ve spoken on Judgment Day (Matthew 12:34b-37.)

Since the words we say are only a reflection of what’s in our hearts, the only way to stop our negative, sarcastic comments is to have a “heart transplant” and allow Jesus into the dark areas of our heart. The more we have Jesus in our hearts, the less hurtful words will roll off our tongues. The less we have Jesus in our hearts, the more hurtful words will come out of our mouths.

So, how does this happen? While there isn’t a magic formula, we need to: Invite Jesus into the dark areas of our hearts (He won’t force himself in. Jesus never goes where he isn’t invited.); Repent of the hurtful words we speak; Study the Bible and then do what it says and ,finally; Pray for God to help us. If we do these things, then our hearts will soften and we will speak praises instead of curses.